The Joint Commission introduced this chapter devoted to the Life Safety Code®(LSC) in 2009 to address the minimization of fire-related risks and hazards in all healthcare settings. Keep in mind that life safety risks vary depending on the type of healthcare...
The Information Management (IM) chapter includes only the standards that focus on the management of information—the medical record documentation standards reside in a separate chapter called Record of Care, Treatment, and Services.
You will notice that the IM standards have been...
The medical staff plays an important role in overseeing how licensed practitioners function within an organization. It is responsible for creating medical staff bylaws, which largely determine responsibilities and ensure that safe, quality care is consistently provided. The Medical Staff (MS)...
An effective and safe medication management system is imperative in reducing harm related to medication administration, yet medication errors remain some of the most prevalent adverse patient events in healthcare today. A comprehensive medication management system is imperative to...
The role of nurse executive is invaluable to the success of an organization. Nurse leaders serve in what has become one of the most significant roles in healthcare: establishing policy and procedures, providing oversight to clinical practice, and ensuring that well-qualified staff are...
The complexity of delivering safe patient care is why healthcare is known as one of the most intricate industries. The Provision of Care, Treatment, and Services (PC) chapter is comprised of standards directed at the four core components of care:
Accurate and complete documentation in the medical record is a prerequisite for delivery of safe, quality patient care. Medical records should be viewed as the “source of truth” for each patient since this is frequently the only way providers and disciplines communicate among each other. ...
The standards in the Rights and Responsibilities of the Individual (RI) chapter set forth a framework to ensure that the processes supporting patient rights, proper consideration of patients and their families, cultural sensitivity, and communicating with patients and families are sound.
Organ and tissue transplants are often lifesaving procedures and can greatly enhance the quality of life for many patients. However, transplantation does come with risk and safety concerns. Organizations must ensure sound transplantation processes that encompass harvesting, receiving, storage,...
Safety concerns and potential for erroneous errors have made the Waived Testing (WT) chapter a common area of focus for surveyors during patient tracers. Surveyors will observe staff while performing waived testing and ask them questions about training and competency. Therefore, you will want...
